


Shepherd to the Stars

by starryshepherd (starrywons)



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Patch 5.0: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal Spoilers, Post-Patch 5.0: Shadowbringers, Post-Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:15:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26443282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrywons/pseuds/starryshepherd
Summary: A collection of drabbles written for EmetWol week 2020!
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 8





	1. Day 1: Light

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! Um i've always been kinda bad at writing author notes but here it goes! This was written for the emetwol week 2020 tag on twitter, i saw this kinda randomly? i think someone i followed retweeted it and i thought 'hey that seems kinda cool!' but i hadn't written anything outside of uni work for a good 2 years now lmao, because of that all of my posts for the weekly challenge will just be short drabbles, averaging between 400-1000 words(ish) to get me back into motivation to start writing things again, that being said! this,, might not be that great??? but i hope you enjoy it all the same! ^^ 
> 
> (Also, i've never wrote anything that calls for an ambiguous main character so hopefully the way it's written isn't too jarring and you can insert your own wols comfortably!! ^^;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! Um i've always been kinda bad at writing author notes but here it goes! This was written for the emetwol week 2020 tag on twitter, i saw this kinda randomly? i think someone i followed retweeted it and i thought 'hey that seems kinda cool!' but i hadn't written anything outside of uni work for a good 2 years now lmao, because of that all of my posts for the weekly challenge will just be short drabbles, averaging between 400-1000 words(ish) to get me back into motivation to start writing things again, that being said! this,, might not be that great??? but i hope you enjoy it all the same! ^^ 
> 
> (Also, i've never wrote anything that calls for an ambiguous main character so hopefully the way it's written isn't too jarring and you can insert your own wols comfortably!! ^^;)

Light was an all encompassing entity, this Emet Selch knew, watching with morbid fascination as the Warrior of Light crossed blades with the numerous lightwardens in the First, drawing in the excess and waiting with bated breath as the very vessel of their soul threatened to crack and shatter under the strain, the light longing to flood out through broken shards and cover the world in it’s blinding glory, for better or for worse. Even knowing this, that the Warrior stood to oppose all of his plans, sprinting ahead carelessly in their hopeless bid to save this world, he couldn’t help but be drawn to them. Whether this was purely to satisfy his curiosity, to see just how far they could travel down this road before being swallowed whole by the raging power swirling just beneath their skin or whether there was something else, something a little deeper, rawer, he couldn’t say, not willing to dwell on possibilities that could lead to even further heartbreak or worse, send him spiralling helplessly into memories of the one soul he missed most ferociously. Yet still, he went with them, sharing bits of his knowledge in the vain hope that it could spark something within; if he was to be asked he would simply brush it off, say that he had no interest in whether the hero lived or died, he was simply curious, waiting to see whether he would be triumphant, but, if one was to look closely enough, you would see his eyes were always drawn over there, to the Light. It was as if they were a bright star and everyone else was simply drawn to them, sucked into their orbit, basking in their warm light, their very presence compelling you to go along with them no matter how harebrained the scheme might have been, just knowing that somehow, someway, everything would turn out fine as long as you were with them, that soul… felt so very familiar. If Emet closed his eyes he could almost see them, hear their voice, the riotous laughter whenever they were near, could feel the warm, comforting glow of amber aether touch his soul; flood him with content and he thought to himself, eyes opening to watch as the Warrior set about for another great tale, face set in grim determination as they readied themselves for the next battle, their companions in toll, fussing over them and checking that they were ready for such a task, if this was to be his end after all, if the Warrior was truly to triumph, was to halt his centuries long plans, he supposes he wouldn’t mind bowing out, returning to the darkness after being embraced by the fiery blazes of their light. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the first part of my emetwol challenge!! i really hope you enjoyed it and i'd be excited to read any comments if you have some things you enjoyed about it >< i'm also on [twitter](https://twitter.com/allaliaffxiv) (@allaliaffxiv if the link doesn't work) so feel free to follow or send me anything regarding writing you'd like to see ^^


	2. Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second prompt for emetwol week! The theme this time is Ocean.
> 
> Hades gets a surprise visit from Azem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back again with the second prompt from emetwol week and this time i chose ocean! Different from my first prompt this focuses on the relationship of Hades and Azem instead of Emet and the WoL simply because, i'm BAD at writing angst and also the tales from the shadows with Hades, Azem and Hyth just solidified them as my favourite ascian trio and i just wanted to write more in that canon (i feel like most of my prompts will feature Hades!Azem rather than Emet!Wol so sorry if that's no quite what you were looking for ><), i hope you enjoy this! it's slightly longer than my first and is a LOT closer to my preferred writing style so i hope it's a nice change from my first ><

“Hades!”

Hades’ head snapped up from where he was sitting at his desk, paperwork strewn around as he tried to finish a deadline he knew was looming. He watched in fond exasperation as Azem came sprinting through the doorway, feet slipping on the polished marble and skidding to a stop in front of his desk, even though they were wearing their mask, he could still tell that their eyes were twinkling with their usual brand of mischief, especially when paired with the shit-eating grin he  _ could _ see. This could mean nothing good but he was willing to humour them anyway, as he was always wont to do with Azem. Suddenly he found himself looking at a handful of sand encrusted shells, some grains slipping through the fingers that Azem had unceremoniously thrust forwards and creating a mess of his paperwork. Quirking an eyebrow he gave Azem a pointed look,

“And what exactly do you expect me to do with these?”

Azem just smiled wider, dumping the shells on Hades’ desk and using their now free hands to rip off their mask, Hades was right, they were positively brimming with chaotic energies. Stifling a sigh he waited for Azem to state why exactly it was they had come, since he highly doubted it was purely to dump half a beach's worth of sand over his important missives.

“I found a really secluded beach today! Look at the shells, aren’t they so pretty?” 

Hades could tell that they were excited if their wild gesturing was anything to go off and he vaguely remembered a conversation with Azem in which they mentioned the ocean being their favourite. Indeed, sure enough he could feel those bright eyes burning holes into him as he was thinking, almost as if they were waiting for him to say something along of the lines of  _ ‘Oh Azem! Why don’t you take us there!’.  _ This time his sigh was audible, it was the sigh of a long suffering man, one who knew he was about to be dragged off to Gods knows where thanks to the unpredictable whims of his excitable traveller. 

“They’re lovely Azem but they’re also getting sand all over my papers, do you not have anywhere better you can place them?” 

He watched as Azem’s face dropped a little and he sighed again, reaching up to rub and the frown lines he could feel deepening between his eyes, Gods he really needed start getting some defenses to ward off Azem when he was busy, after all once they pull a face such as that he knows that he will not be able to deny them of anything, no matter how time consuming nor impractical it may be. No longer being able to stand seeing the dejection on their face he looked up at them again, waving his hand so the shells floated gracefully into a glass vase, sand and all, 

“Ah, it seems as if you didn’t bring me enough shells to fill this vase, looks as if we’ll have to go and collect some more.”

Hades watched as Azem went from sulking to beaming ear to ear in a split second; he tried to keep nonchalant, but he couldn’t help the small, soft smile that crept onto his face, if Hythlodaeus was here, he would undoubtedly make some comment about this being his  _ ‘special Azem smile’ _ and  _ ‘why will you never smile at me like that? All I get from you is sarcasm and documents, it’s so unfair’ _ but he tried not to give him the satisfaction that he was right - even if he was currently just a figment of Hades’ imagination. His musing was quickly interrupted though by Azem crowding round the other side of his desk, hands tugging on his robe sleeve, dragging him to his feet as they excitedly babbled about how quiet and peaceful the beach was, that it was a place even someone like Hades would enjoy, which he had to interject at that because, what was  _ that _ supposed to mean? Azem just laughed, the sound loud and joyful as it echoed down the empty hallway, Azem’s hand dropping from his sleeve to intertwine with his own, the warmth of their palms being pressed together making the back of Hades’ neck flush; he sure was glad his robe had a high collar or he wouldn't know quite how to explain to Azem why he was so flustered. Instead he let himself be pulled along, listening to Azem chatter away and just basking in their presence. His work could wait after all. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! i hope you enjoyed this portrayal of the ocean prompt and that you liked the characterisation of how i imagine Azem ^^ as before you can find me over at [twitter](https://twitter.com/allaliaffxiv) and i'll see you tomorrow for the next prompt ^^


	3. Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter of emetwol week! this time the prompt is Kiss.
> 
> Hades muses on missing Azem after they've been away on travels and how much he awaits their return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> weee back again with the third prompt from emetwol week! this time i chose the theme 'kiss'! again this focuses on Hades and Azem just because i love exploring their relationship before well,, everything that happened,,, happened lmao. i hope you all enjoy this little drabble too ^^
> 
> (slight nsfw warning? i guess? obviously there's kissing and then some implications of what would happen afterwards but nothing too graphic ><)

Hades had taken to wandering aimlessly around Amaurot, Azem had been away for a good two weeks now which meant that he had finally been able to catch up on the myriad of paperwork which always seemed to get put off when Azem was home, their careless brand of idiocy meaning that there was always some situation or other in which he would have to intervene or would just get dragged into regardless thanks to his inability to refuse their shining eyes and pleading mouth- no! Words. Their pleading  _ words _ . The less time Hades spent thinking about Azem’s mouth the better, the only thing it seemed capable of was getting its owner into all sorts of trouble and Hades had definitely had his fill of that. After all, it’s not like he was missing them, having to drag them kicking and screaming from dangerous situations was a chore and definitely not something that Hades looked forward to, not when he could be spending that time doing something much more respectable, like, his work for instance. However, with his work actually finished for once, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts drift back to Azem, he wondered exactly what it was they were doing, he had gotten a few letters, hastily scribbled on whatever paper they seemed to have handy, their words a jumbled mess in their excitement. He pulled one from his inner robe - and, no, there was no other reason for him having them constantly on his person other than he had nowhere else to store them, thank you very much - and smoothed it out as he took a seat on one of the courtyards benches. 

> _ Hades! You’ll never guess what I’m doing right now, I’m on the back of a giant flying creature! The tribe I’m staying with told me they were having some kind of trouble with an unruly earth spirit on one of the islands across the sea and they couldn’t get near since everything smaller than it would instantly get swatted away, although that would've been quite an amusing situation to experience don't you think? Ah, I'm getting distracted again, anyway I'm going over to the island now to see if I can do anything about it so wish me luck! I'll see you soon, don't miss me too much!  _

Hades sighed.  _ 'Don't miss me too much!' _ however could he not? As much as he was loath to admit it whenever Azem was off on their travels he couldn’t help but wish they had a more secure job in the convocation, one which would keep them around longer and put them in easy reach for him to visit. Closer and  _ safer _ , so he wouldn’t spend all of his waking moments worrying about what kind of stupid situation they were putting themselves into now. Not that they couldn’t always get themselves out of it in the end. Hades hated missing Azem. He could almost hear them now, their obnoxious but endlessly endearing laughter, the way his name coming from their lips sounded like the sweetest music, like honey dripping down the ripest fruit…

"...Hades…Hades!"

Hades knew his imagination was strong - especially when it came to matters involving Azem - but even so this sounded unbelievably realistic. Snapping his head up he could see the unmistakable figure of Azem in the distance, their mask slipping down their cheeks as they ran, careless as ever, heavy footsteps pounding on the marble walkway. Hades could barely stifle his smile when Azem skidded to a halt in front of them, a huge grin on their face and a traveler's bag swinging on their back. 

“Azem. You’re late.”

“Technically I never gave a specific date as to when I was returning home… So did you miss me?” 

“I suppose, although I certainly get a lot more work done when you are no longer around to get into all manner of mischief” Hades fixed Azem with a pointed look, having discarded his mask in favour of looking at Azem’s equally unmasked face clearer. Azem pouted. 

“That’s all you have to say to me? No welcome home? No I missed you darling?” They threw their arms wide, “not even a hug?”

Hades sighed, cupping their face and smoothing away some unruly strands of hair, he leant towards them, capturing those incessantly moving lips into a searing kiss. Azem immediately relaxed into him, eyelids fluttering closed and body gravitating towards him, arms twining around his back, drawing them impossibly closer. Hades was the first to break away, wanting nothing more to sweep Azem up and continue their long overdue greetings in the comfort of their private chambers but conceding that, they were currently in the most central area of Amaurot and even though Hades enjoys nothing more than flaunting his relationship with Azem to those who may wish to steal away his precious light, he also wasn’t overly fond on displaying quite  _ all _ of their affections in such a public setting. 

“What, was that all?” Azem sounded thoroughly disappointed and Hades couldn’t help the wry laugh that escaped his throat, settling his hands around Azem’s waist he looked at them softly, pressing a chaste kiss to the crinkles between their eyes that they always get whenever they’re confused. 

“Come now my dear, the type of welcome I wish to give you is certainly not suitable for the main courtyard in the middle of the afternoon, how about we continue this back in our chambers hm?” 

Azem grinned that impish grin he loved so much and nodded, but not without leaning in to press their own kiss against his lips, their excitement palpable, made even clearer when they poke their tongue through their lips to run across Hades’, slowly as if they were savouring the taste. Hades nipped their bottom lip and pulled away abruptly, eyes smoldering as they took in the glowing visage of their lover, cheeky smile and glittering eyes promising a long night ahead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!! i hope you enjoyed it ^^ as always i'm on [twitter](https://twitter.com/allaliaffxiv) so feel free to come and chat with me ^^

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading the first part of my emetwol challenge!! i really hope you enjoyed it and i'd be excited to read any comments if you have some things you enjoyed about it >< i'm also on [twitter](https://twitter.com/allaliaffxiv) (@allaliaffxiv if the link doesn't work) so feel free to follow or send me anything regarding writing you'd like to see ^^


End file.
